Anything that creates a barrier to achieving one’s goal for career advancement and overall success is considered a career challenge. Individuals will face both expected common occurrences and unexpected unique challenges throughout their professional life.
There are certain challenges that are both unique and expected when we consider members of the immigrant community. These challenges are the lack of recognition for qualifications, absence of relevant work experience in the new country, the need for support or a professional network and language barriers.
This article outlines four strategies that can be used by immigrant professionals to proactively deal with certain career challenges and position themselves to achieve career goals with ease.
1. Shift mindsets to change how one views and engages with the world
In a recent article published in Psychology Today, author Rick Hanson points to a well-known idea in medicine and psychology that how individuals act and feel throughout life and in specific situations is determined by three factors:
- the challenges people face
- the vulnerabilities these challenges grind on
- the strengths that one has to meet these challenges
When put in the context of dealing with a career challenge such as lack of experience, feelings of doubt and fear of failure are often intensified for the immigrant professional. In this situation, adopting a shift in one’s thoughts and overall self-belief can help to combat the feelings associated with this challenge and in turn lead to identifying practical solutions to overcome this challenge.
Navigating different professional spaces as an immigrant, one best practice that has helped with shifting my mindset is focusing on my long-term vision. I looked beyond my present conditions and placed greater focus on the bigger picture, keeping in mind that the here and now can change at any moment. Here’s a simple exercise of five steps that I utilize to shift my mindset and refocus my thoughts:
- Pause in the moment
- Examine the current feelings and thoughts
- Determine the reason for the present feelings and thoughts
- Identify one immediate action that can be taken that will help in the current moment and subsequently lead to the bigger goal
- Take action on that one task
Any accomplishment, big or small, triggers dopamine, the “feel good” chemical that signals to the brain that you have achieved something. The accomplishment of this one task is powerful enough to trigger dopamine, which can redirect your attention to focus on what you can do and the actions you can repeat that will lead to achieving your goal.
“I looked beyond my present conditions and placed greater focus on the bigger picture, keeping in mind that the here and now can change at any moment.”
Nothing lasts forever, simply because the world exists as a cluster of thoughts, ideas and events that are all part of an evolutionary cycle; what is here now may be gone tomorrow. You have full control over how you react in each part of the cycle.
2. Build and leverage a support system of people and resources
Career professionals working with immigrant professionals must encourage the act of cultivating a network of supportive people and resources. Jobseekers can advance their career journey by surrounding themselves with people who can be a source of support.
A top tip for building a network is to become a volunteer and get involved in a cause based on one’s interests and values. This way, as immigrants we position ourselves to meet and connect with people who share our interests and act in a manner that aligns with our values.
Newcomers can feel isolated and lonely while navigating life in a new country. Therefore, building a network of supportive people and resources (places to connect and ways to build your network) is a great means of dealing with common career advancement challenges.
3. Find a creative outlet
Experiencing career challenges can result in increased stress levels, among other mental challenges. Therefore, it is helpful to identify a creative outlet that is separate or detached from one’s professional identity. Great options include baking, crocheting, hiking, rock climbing, cycling, podcasting, blogging or painting.
The best thing I could have done for myself on my professional journey as an immigrant was to find a creative outlet to keep me grounded and less worried about my career progression, which then reduced my stress and anxiety. I encourage immigrant professionals to find an activity that will help them take care of themselves. Being mentally and physically healthy is important for overcoming any challenge, especially those related to our careers.
4. Make an intentional effort to develop one’s personal brand
It is evident that the way we work is changing drastically. It is also clear that new roles are emerging and some previous roles are being eliminated. A competitive advantage for any professional is to become marketable and adaptable to an ever-changing job market. I recommend taking intentional actions to develop one’s personal brand.
From personal experience and observation, I have found that having a noticeable personal brand is essential to dealing with career challenges. A constant challenge of mine was finding the right opportunities to expand my network. However, in taking intentional actions to develop my personal brand, I have had multiple opportunities to expand my network. Recently, I was invited to a Lunch and Learn session hosted by ONE HUB and was later asked to join the team as an entrepreneurial mentor.
Your personal brand allows you to position yourself as a professional, communicate the unique value you have to offer and attract the right people and opportunities. Having a personal brand helps to increase visibility because if you are not seen, then you can’t be considered. This can also lead to job opportunities by way of employee referrals.
A great place for immigrant professionals to start developing their personal brand is online, using platforms such as LinkedIn or a personal website. The key is to share one’s knowledge on a topic, industry or subject area, join conversations and interact with others who share the same interests and values.
Career challenges are part of the professional journey but for the immigrant professional not all traditional career development will effectively address the challenges they face. Rather than using reactive traditional career development approaches, career professionals supporting immigrant professionals should encourage the use of more proactive approaches.
